Preface: now is a critical time for Paulding . Get involved, participative government makes for a responsible and effective government. Attend Village Council meetings and other Board meetings.

SMALL TOWNS, BIG DREAMS: Do you have what it takes?
June 2, 2016 at 10:07am by Myra Moss
Many small towns want to improve their current condition for a number of reasons. What we often hear from residents and leaders is: “We are tired of our “best and brightest” leaving the area for college and never returning because we have no jobs/careers for them,” or “Our retired residents have to seek appropriate housing in other communities because there isn’t any here,” or “The youth that remain are not “work ready” and opioid use among them has become a real problem.” Some of these towns have existing community or economic development plans that, while they might offer viable solutions, were never fully implemented (the old “the plan sits on the shelf” complaint).

So, what’s a town to do? Here are some suggestions based on my experience working with many communities throughout Ohio:

Overcome fractured goals by building inclusion into your community’s dialogue about the future:
If you are a local leader, have you discovered your residents’ vision of the future? I use the word “discover” because, chances are your residents already have a picture of what they would like your town to be. And, although there may be some divergent views, there is also a core set of beliefs and desires that can lead to consensus to set major goals. The task of local leadership then becomes setting the stage for open and inclusionary dialogue about the future. Inclusion is important. By reaching out to all sectors of the community to include their desires and hopes, a shared vision of the future can be discovered.

Engage a broad range of residents in both planning and implementation:
When residents are engaged in determining their community’s future, they become invested in results and clearly discover their place in making the plan a reality. By taking actions every day through their workplace, community organizations, leadership roles, businesses and their own personal life, they work individually and collectively to achieve success. Time spent engaging residents results in less time spent “selling” the plan to the community, leading to faster implementation. When the community is engaged throughout the process, there develops a much larger base of volunteers to draw upon to move goals forward.

Identify outcomes you want to achieve, and develop indicators of success to use in measuring progress toward reaching these outcomes:
A community plan is a living document. It is important to monitor progress toward reaching goals and modify strategies as needed. Indicators of success developed during planning and goal setting are used to stay on track with plan implementation and make changes as needed. An indicator should be easy to understand, relevant and measurable. It should be widely shared with the community, with progress reported at least annually. Indicators provide a way for residents and organizations to see the results of their contribution toward community goals.

An example of how this inclusionary focus may play out in a community is as follows:

Together the community sets a vision and goal of retaining youth that receive post-secondary degrees.
During the inclusionary planning process an objective is established to expand job opportunities in the medical field.
Using an inclusionary method to establish indicators helps various sectors of the community discover their roles in reaching the shared vision and implementing objectives.
So as an example, perhaps the high school career counselor presents medical careers as possible paths to pursue. Economic developers accept the development of a business park for medical industries. Builders identify construction of senior housing alternatives like condos and assisted living. Medical providers participate in local job fairs.

By building inclusion into community planning at every stage of the process, from development to implementation, big dreams can be achieved by small towns.

As with any legal document changes are adopted and the infomation in this document should be verified with the Village Office as being current. I believe there is a amendment to this ordinace as to the monetary penalties.

ORDINANCE NO. 841-82 (Note Section III Amended to 3 Days.) AN ORDINANCE PROHIBITING THE DEPOSIT, STORAGE, MAINTENANCE, OR COLLECTION OF JUNK OR JUNK MOTOR VEHICLES ON ANY PREMISS, VILLAGE STREETS, ALLEY RIGHT-OF-WAY. OR OTHERWISE WITHIN THE VILLAGE OF PAULDING, OHIO, EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE PROVIDED. WHEREAS, the Council of the Village of Paulding deems it necessary and appropriate to prohibit the deposit, storage, maintenance, or collection of unlicensed, inoperable vehicles and equipment, and junk or junk motor vehicles within the Village of Paulding in order to protect and promote the general health and welfare of the residents of the Village; now, therefore, I. DEFINITIONS: That for the purposes of this ordinance, the terms “junk”…

This letter is to the residents of Paulding Village and Paulding County, served by Paulding EMS:

My name is Con Shuherk and on Friday, June 17, 2016, I resigned my position as an EMT for the Village of Paulding.

I have done this in response to the wrongful termination of Brandon Shuherk from the Paulding Police Department at the direction of Mayor Greg Reinhart.

My son, Brandon Shuherk, was informed by [the] chief of police he was being dismissed from the police department, that it was not performance related, that he had been doing a great job as an officer, and he and the assistant chief did not agree with the termination. It was the mayor’s decision, was the only explanation given.

I would like to say that I believe the termination was unethical and it was personal against my son for doing his job and the mayor should be held accountable for his actions that have resulted in the loss of my son’s job and income.

If anyone would like to contact me, I would be happy to discuss this further with them.

Con Shuherk

Paulding

Village response

Contacted for response to the above letter, Michael Jones, Paulding Village socilitor, stated the following:

“My response, on behalf of the Village, is as follows: The Village Council is looking into this situation. There will be no further comment at this time.”

The view from my temporary office at Stone Lab on Gibraltar Island near Put-in-Bay, Ohio.

June 23, 2016 at 9:28am by Tory Gabriel
OSU Extension Community Development

Ok, so maybe summertime doesn’t give most of us reprieve from long hours and a constant barrage of emails, but it sure seems to make those things more tolerable. And if you’re wise enough to take some time for yourself and get outside, you can almost feel the stress melt away. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to accomplish this than a trip to Lake Erie, Ohio’s greatest natural resource.

I admit to some bias, as I’m writing this from beautiful Gibraltar Island while teaching the Lake Erie Sport Fishing course at Stone Lab. But there really is something for everyone up here on the north shore. How about a trip to Cedar Point, recognized as one of the best amusement parks in the world? If adrenaline isn’t your thing, how about visiting one of the many local wineries popping up along the Lake Erie shore?

Into history? Come to Put-in-Bay on South Bass Island and check out Perry’s monument and learn how pivotal this part of Ohio was in the War of 1812. And make sure to stop by the Aquatic Visitors Center run by Ohio Sea Grant & Stone Lab. If you come on a Wednesday, make time to take the tour of Stone Lab and say hi to us. The tour runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the $10 fee supports student scholarships.

And of course there’s the fishing and boating. There’s a great resource available from our friends at Coastal Management that lets you find all the public access spots along the lake. Don’t have your own boat? Check out the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association website to find a charter captain, or call in to your destination county Visitor Bureau (like the Ottawa County Lake Erie Shores and Islands office) to see who they recommend, or get a ton of other ideas. Local bait shops are great sources of information too.

If none of these ideas suit you, don’t forget to consider the beautiful beaches, swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, paddleboards, parasailing, sailing, camping, bird watching and so many other opportunities that await you here along Lake Erie’s shore. Do yourself a favor – make the quick drive north this summer. Sometimes the water is all you need to cleanse your soul.

Tory Gabriel is the Extension Program Leader & Fisheries Outreach Coordinator for the Ohio Sea Grant College Program.

A common way to compute density is, of course, to take the ratio of an object’s mass to its volume. But other types of densities exist, such as the resistance of somebody’s brain to the imparting of common sense…. — Death by Black Hole

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Coming Events

Meetings are open to the public
• Paulding County Commissioners in session 8am-4pm or until end of business on Mondays and Wednesdays, Room B-1, courthouse
• Paulding Village Council meetings 6:30pm on the first and third Mondays of each month, in council chambers